This publication is designed to keep you informed about what's happening in the Woburn Public Schools. In each newsletter we'll include contributions from some of our schools as well as articles from the district in general. Be sure to visit woburnpublicschools.com for the most current information about our schools. Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. If you haven't already done so, please subscribe to our web site, too.

Welcome to the first edition of the 2012-2013 Woburn Public Schools District Newsletter. We're always happy to show off the many good things happening in our schools, and this newsletter give you just a glimpse of some of the exciting activities involving our students.

While every year is busy, the 2012-2013 school year promises to bring about some interesting changes in the way we do business. A major undertaking of the school district is the new teacher evaluation process. As a result of our participation in the federal Race to the Top program, our district is one of many across the state implementing these new state requirements this year. We are in the process of working with our teachers to iron out some of the kinks because the learning curve regarding this new process is steep.

Another exciting development is the acquisition of the Edline platform as a method of connecting parents to our schools. The Educational Technology Department, under the direction of Mr. Peter Roketenetz, has been working hard with staff members, and the results are beginning to show. We have great expectations for making Edline accessible to parents as we go through the month of November. Edline earned rave reviews from parents and teachers in other communities, so we're glad to bring it to you this year.

We're looking forward to another great school year with many exciting activities. I hope you enjoy reading about some of these activities in this newsletter.

Mark Donovan

Superintendent

Principal's Message: Woburn Memorial High School

Mr. FiniganPrincipalWoburn Memorial High School

October 2012

Woburn Memorial High School

Joseph L. Finigan

Principal's Message:

I am happy to report a very successful start to the new school year. Our students and teachers should be congratulated for their enthusiasm and commitment to the school. These underscore the high quality of the start of the new school year at WMHS.

On Parent Conference Night, I had the opportunity to hear many positive comments from parents regarding the quality of the WMHS teaching staff and the quality of WMHS programs. Parent enthusiasm reinforced the pride I have in our students and our staff. Should you see me in school, around town, at school events or games, please introduce yourself to me. I am always interested in discussing ways we can enhance the experience WMHS offers our students.

As the high school principal, I find it very gratifying to work with our enthusiastic students and dedicated faculty in our incredible facility. I am proud of our school and its continuing tradition of excellence. In our new building, whether it is the classrooms designed to match instruction, the impact of state-of-the-art technology, or the finest performance venues and athletic facilities, our students will experience unparalleled opportunities. For an educator, there is no finer work than to be involved in helping students discover and develop their goals and dreams.

It is clear to me that WMHS is in a very good position and is moving in the right direction. Whether it is our work in the 21st Century Mission and Expectations for Student Learning, curriculum development, the addition of new courses and other school and district-based projects; we are moving forward on initiatives that will enhance the preparation of our students. The feedback I receive from parents and WMHS graduates consistently informs me that our students are very well prepared for successful work in college. With the focus on work we are undertaking, our students will be even better prepared.

In so many ways, our work at WMHS is focused on imagining how we can make a good school greater. In essence, my attention is focused on a commitment to high academic standards for all of our students, a sense of community, the personal and intellectual development of our students, and lastly, maintaining and developing a high quality faculty and staff.

I continue to be steadfast in these goals for school improvement. I look forward to an exciting year at WMHS in working with teachers, students, and community members in making a good school great.

Credit to be Awarded by Semester:

Beginning with the current semester, credit earned for all Woburn Memorial High School classes will be awarded at the conclusion of each semester. A semester includes two quarters and a semester exam. Semester 1 includes the first and second quarters and the semester exam in January. Semester 2 includes the third and fourth quarters and the exam in June. In the past, students earned the five credits for a course in June. With the transition, students will earn 2.5 credits for Semester 1 and 2.5 credits for Semester 2. The structure is much like how credits are awarded in colleges.

There are multiple reasons for the change in credit structure. Over the course of the past two years, most Woburn Memorial High School course outlines have been re-written so that all courses align and so that the courses are organized by semester. In addition, I believe that the credit by semester creates more opportunities for student success, organization and progress.

As with any change in practice, I want to make sure that there are no surprises, this is especially so for seniors. In the past, a senior who failed a course first quarter did not always fail the urgency to push themselves because they thought that they had the year to "catch up" through the rest of the school year. This did not always happen. It is important for me to emphasize that at the end of the first quarter, guidance counselors and I will be meeting with seniors who fail a course first quarter to reinforce the immediacy of them doing their best each quarter so that they receive the credits in January.

The transition to awarding credits by semester is an appropriate reorganization as we continue in our commitment to offer a highly competitive secondary education for our students that will prepare them for a range of post-secondary educational and other opportunities.

As we proceed through the fall, the following items are brought to your attention:

School Web Site: Please take advantage of the school web page Woburn Memorial High School https://www.edline.net/pages/Woburn_HS as a means to keep current with the school calendar, events, information and initiatives. In addition, all parents should access the Edline accounts which allow you to receive updates via email. All student accounts were distributed via a mailing in early October. If you did not receive the code, please contact Maureen Trickett at mtrickett@woburnpublicschools.com for help in logging in. Special thanks to Maureen Trickett for her work on the development of the WMHS EDLINE page.

WMHS Daily Announcements: The daily announcements are posted on the WMHS web page daily. Information for Students and Staff is posted under "Reflector" in the navigation bar. Log-in is required to view announcements. You can also receive the announcements on Twitter at WMHS Tanners.

National Honor Society Induction: The WMHS community recognizes our most accomplished students on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the National Honor Society Induction in the Flaherty Auditorium. The public is invited to this special event.

WMHS Science Team: The high school science team hosted the first meet of the year for the North Shore Science League on October 9th. Woburn performed well in the Astronomy event, placing 7th out of 27 schools. We also participated in the catapult competition and instant invention. In November, we will travel to Lynn English for our next competition.

Media Center - Library: The library has been very busy during first term with classes coming in for their writing and research projects. The high school is a member of the Massachusetts Library System and this year we are fortunate to have had 38 new databases added to our collection. This has been made possible through funds from the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners, the Mass Library System, and federal funds. The databases encompass all of the subject areas and include many professional resources as well. These databases are accessible for home use through the library website, which is on the WMHS Edline page. It is necessary to sign in to Edline to use the databases.

Food, Nutrition and Wellness: Students in the Foods, Nutrition and Wellness classes have been busy preparing, sampling and learning about the health benefits of local foods, a variety of greens and whole grains and root vegetables. The classes have compared and contrasted two food plates, the USDA's Choose My Plate and Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate. Students are learning to identify and distinguish the macro nutrients and food groups in each of the recipes they prepare in the Foods Lab. Students have also been learning to view the food industry from both a consumer's and business prospective, examining how foods are marketed and how to read food labels and ingredient lists. The classes have also been supported with information from Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialist, Meg Murphy, who visits the classes monthly to demonstrate the preparation and benefits of some simple, healthy recipes.

Woburn Historical Society at WMHS: On Sunday, October 21st, the Woburn Historical Society hosted tenor Ronan Tynan in the WMHS Flaherty Auditorium. The WMHS Tech Crew provided technical support for the show. We would like to thank all involved in the preparation and execution of the technical aspects of Mr. Tynan's show. We have heard nothing but great compliments on Mr. Tynan's sound in the auditorium and also by Mr. Tynan himself. The hard work of Paul Hayes and his tech crew, sound man Ricky Smith and the leadership of Jim McSweeney made the night run smoothly.

Raytheon Support at WMHS: Raytheon has again teamed up with WMHS to run the Science/Math Tutoring program. Raytheon volunteers assist students with physics and math, and they also provide advice about colleges, future careers, and special projects. The program is in its fifth year and runs in two 10-week sessions for up to 32 students.

WMHS Visual Arts: Juniors and Seniors from the Visual Art Program visited two competitive art programs in Boston on Monday, October 22nd. The morning was spent at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University located in Kenmore Square; the afternoon was spent at the Massachusetts College of Art. Students were exposed to a wide variety of visual art majors and were advised on both application to art schools and careers in the field of visual art.

The National Art Honor Society began its engagement with the WMHS and City of Woburn Community recently. Members Haley Flight and Jisoo Sim volunteered their time at the Woburn Fire Station on Sunday, October 14th to provide face painting for the afternoon's festivities. The NAHS is always looking for suggestions for ways student artists can give back to the community using their artistic talents. Please contact us through Edline to suggest some great causes and activities.

WMHS Computer Graphics: Senior Alana Buckley was selected by Mrs. Susan Thifault to design the Halloween poster, logo and vendor badges for the Woburn Host Lions Club annual Halloween parade on Oct. 29. Alana designed the poster using Adobe Illustrator in Mrs. Thifault's computer graphics class. Alana's posters can be seen all of the city of Woburn. Her logo will be on all the Halloween parade shirts and vendor badges. This project is one of many that students from the computer graphics classes have the opportunity to contribute to the City of Woburn.

Altavesta School: Writing about Scarecrows

Sarah E.Student ReporterAltavesta School

The Altavesta fourth graders are working to improve their writing skills. Through the current writing unit, students are researching the history of scarecrows to write an essay. Specific writing skills they are focusing on include: topic, supporting and concluding sentences; conventions such as indenting paragraphs, capitalization and punctuation; and organization through the use of graphic organizers, rough drafts and final copies.

Sarah E. from Mrs. Knight's 4th grade wrote about the current writing unit.

At the Altavesta School, the fourth graders have been working hard on an essay about the history of the scarecrow. Before doing the essay all we knew about scarecrows was that they were used by farmers, and as decorations. We wanted to know more about the scarecrow. We asked questions like: why do people use scarecrows, who uses scarecrows, what do people use as scarecrows and how long have they been used for?

After reading the information sheet and writing the essays, we knew the answers to the questions, and more. We found out that scarecrows are used all over the world. We also learned that scarecrows are used to keep the crops safe. In Germany, they used wooden witches because the Germans believed they had the power to absorb the "evil spirit" of winter into their bodies.

After we finished doing the writing we colored a scarecrow to hang up on the bulletin board. It was fun learning about the scary-looking scarecrow.

Linscott School: Welcoming Ms Haverty

Evelyn EnokianBrooklyn MannaStudent ReportersLinscott School

Ms. Haverty is a new teacher at the Linscott-Rumford school. She teaches nineteen fourth grade students. We interviewed her to get to know her better, and from our understanding she is an amazing person. Ms.Haverty went to the Linscott-Rumford school in elementary with her best friend Kelly. Her favorite teachers were Mrs.McElinnhy and Mrs.McColgan. She grew up in North Woburn and loved the subject of reading. She could be described as helpful, kind, and determined. Her absolute favorite grade was first grade. In third grade she entered the spelling bee and got second place misspelling the word burglar. Her dream job as a child was of course a TEACHER!!!! She first went to UMASS Amherst then got her masters at UMASS Boston. This is her first year having her own classroom.

She has told us that in elementary she did not play any sports, but she would've liked to have been a part of gymnastics. In high school she was on the swim team. She said she was super excited to have her own class! Her favorite subject to teach is writing, and of course when we asked her what she would like to teach more of she said WRITING!

We asked her how she felt about her students participating in fundraisers,and she replied with "I am proud of my students, and I am happy that they are involved in the community and it is important when the kids see that raising money and having fun is good!" She said she thinks one good thing to teach is to be respectful of others. She has said that college was really fun for her, and her favorite thing about it was meeting new people.

She is an awesome teacher,but this is what she does out of school. She has hopes of one day traveling to Ireland, Italy, and Spain. She likes to visit Boston because of all the history that took place there. She helps out at the Food Pantry, and her hobbies are cooking, riding her bike, and scrap booking.

We asked her one last question, "What charity do you think is good for schools and children to donate to?" and she answered with "The Food Pantry and any other children charities." Mrs.Plamondon, a second grade teacher said " Ms.Haverty is a great addition to our school." We also asked what her student Anaya Galvao thought, she said that "Ms.Haverty is super-duper nice and she helps me a lot, she also is a good teacher and I'm glad to have her for fourth grade." Overall we think that Ms.Haverty is a great person, good to her students, and is a great new teacher in our school! Well that's the story from kid reporters Evelyn Enokian, and Brooklyn Manna.

Reeves School: Learning about Food Allergies

Kiera WalshMegan RoderickStudent ReportersReeves School

On Wednesday September 12th, Kyle Dine, a food allergy musician, came to The Reeves Elementary School to perform a food allergy assembly. He performed songs, acted with puppets, and told stories about his own experiences with allergies. He used audience participation to help educate us all on his key messages of: symptoms of an allergic reaction, helping out allergic friends, the importance of not sharing food, bullying and food allergies, and many other important allergy related topics.

Michael F, Zach M., and Jack M, from Mrs. Sheehan's 3rd grade class, thought the assembly was, "informative and funny." Leandra B., a fourth grader thought, "it was important to learn and show everyone that it is okay to have allergies." Kyle S., from Mrs. Macdonald's 4th grade, thought "the assembly was a great way to learn about allergies." Kyle Dine showed that there can be a bright side to allergies.

Reported by, Kiera Walsh and Megan Roderick(5th grade)

Hurld School: Trick or Treating for a Cause

Mrs. MillsPrincipalHurld School

Many students from the community dressed up in costumes and went out Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. These students from the Hurld School, however, did so with the intention of helping other children in need. Each of them took a UNICEF box with them along their route, and they asked people not only for candy, but any monetary donation they could make for this worthy cause.

When asked about his experience, Dylan said, "I just criss-crossed the street and asked people. Most people gave something." Lauren replied, "It will save people's lives, because when we collect the money and send it to other places, it will help them buy the things they need to help cure diseases."

Nicole also enjoyed the experience of collecting to help people in need. When asked if she had fun, she said, "Yes, because I knew I was helping others. It felt good to do it because it felt like I was doing a good thing."

UNICEF is an organization that provides medicine, clean water, school supplies, and more for children all over the world. Children who collected for UNICEF while Trick-or-Treating earned YES (Youth Engaged in Service) hours for their time.

Walk-a-thon at the Linscott-Rumford

Emily Correia Kenza BezzatStudent ReportersLinscott School

The first annual walk-a-thon took place on October 2nd at the Linscott Rumford Elementary school. We raised about $6,000. One hundred forty students out of a total 235 students raised and brought in money (that's over 60% participation). To keep the students energized, Whole Foods Supermarket donated six cases of bananas that were almost 40 pounds each, and water bottles too. The Walk-a-thon was put together by the Linscott PTO. All 235 of our students sacrificed their 25 minute recess to participate in the Walk-a-thon. One silly band was given away for every lap you did around the school to represent the amount of laps you had done. The other big prizes were given away to many classes. For example: Mrs. Plamondon's 2nd grade class was awarded for having the largest percentage of students participate in the Walk-a-thon.

Mrs. Richardson an awesome 5th grade teacher said "I was very impressed at how hard all the students worked. How athletic everybody was, I think it was very successful, it was also nice to see the school work together as a team. I also got my very own workout."

Mrs. Plamondon, a very nice 2nd grade teacher thought the Walk-a-thon "went great and was fun to see the kids dancing around to music". Her 2nd grade class had the highest percentage of kids participate. She thought it was a great way to raise money for the school, while encouraging exercise and fitness. "It was very organized", she says "I also walked and loved seeing the kids have fun!"

Mrs. Dionne's' kindergarten class had raised the most money and earned a pizza party!! Matthew Kreimeyer, a kindergarten student raised the most money in all of the school. Ethan Petrillo, another kindergarten student won the raffle for a Ripstick and a helmet.

Mr. Wells, our Principal, encouraged the school to be active about the Walk-a-thon.

Mrs. Mahoney, a lovely 3rd grade teacher talked about how she loved the walk-a-thon. She thought it was very organized, very fun, and was an amazing success. What amazed her was that "everyone participated and had fun, even though not all of us raised money."

The money was raised to host enrichment programs, and to pay for the students to go on eye-popping field trips. Some teachers participated in the Walk-a-thon as well.

Joyce Middle School: Our Day at Minuteman National Historical Park

Max DohertyStudent ReporterJoyce Middle School

On Friday, October 19th, the eighth grade at the Joyce Middle School went on a field trip to Minuteman National Historical Park. It was a lot of fun. We started our day by getting split into three groups. I was in the blue group. Then we were off! My group went to North Bridge first. This was the spot where the first shots between the British and the Colonists were fired. When we arrived, we were greeted by our Math teacher, Mr. Wilson, wearing his colonial uniform and playing the fife. Once we were situated, we walked down to and over the bridge to the sound of Mr. Wilson's fife. On the other side of the bridge, we talked to a park ranger and then we were off to the visitor's center. At the visitor's center, we saw a multi-media presentation on the battle of Lexington and Concord. After that, we were given a few minutes to buy any souvenirs. Then, we left for Hartwell Tavern.

At the Hartwell Tavern, one of the park rangers gave us a presentation. This presentation was called, "Rebel, Redcoats, and Homespun Heroes." The presentation was about how the British convinced people to take their side and how the Colonists were rebels for revolting against their Mother Country. The ranger then brought some eighth grade volunteers up to practice proper musket holding. We were then invited to a musket firing presentation. My group then took a walk to the bloody angle, which was where the Colonists cornered the British.

The field trip was over after this. I found the whole experience very interesting.

The feeling was kind of eerie knowing that soldiers were once shot and killed while fighting right where we were walking and standing. Not only was the field trip academic but it was also a bonding experience for our eighth grade class.

Unity Day at the Wyman School

Kevin B.Merry L.Student ReportersWyman School

Unity Day was on October 10th and it was a great success! To start Unity Day, the fifth graders went around the week before to talk to the younger grades about Unity Day and what to do on that day. Everyone participated in Unity Day in different ways! The fourth and fifth graders made posters to teach the younger students about respecting each other. Also, they had class discussions. Everyone wore orange, including the teachers.

Also in Health Classes, the grades have been talking about the importance of friendship, how to be a good friend, and the difference between conflict and bullying. Thanks to the students and teachers for their support!

This was a huge step to stop bullying and we want it to continue. From this day on, we will always try to get rid of bullying.

Walking Wednesdays at the Wyman

Cassie F.Ainsley S.Student ReportersWyman School

The Wyman School is participating in "Walking Wednesdays." The idea behind Walking Wednesdays is to get exercise and keep our environment clean from pollution. Every month each student can join in. You can walk or carpool to school on Walking Wednesdays. The one class that has the highest percentage of kids and teachers that walk to school are awarded the Golden Shoe. The Golden Shoe stays in the classroom for the rest of the month until the next Walking Wednesday. What class will walk away with the Golden Shoes next month? By Cassie F. and Ainsley S.

Malcolm White School: Green Day

Mr. StarkPrincipalMalcolm White School

On Friday, October 19th, the Malcolm White School along with other Woburn Schools participated in a green day fundraiser to raise money for the family of Ryan Fisher, a student at the Goodyear School. Students wore green and contributed money to help celebrate the life of Mr. Allen Fisher, Ryan's dad.

Malcolm White School: Creating a Caring School

Mr. StarkPrincipalMalcolm White School

A recent article in Educational Leadership- Joining Hands Against Bullying (October 2012) suggests that rather than asking students to fight against the tide, we need to find ways to shift the tide itself, to create caring schools. It is important that caring and responsibility be among the norms for our school such that students see the entire school community as within their circle of concern.

With the goal of creating a school in which caring and responsibility are among the norms, Mr. Stark visited each classroom this month for a community meeting. During these meetings, all students brainstormed places within their school (classrooms, library, art room, office, hallways, bathrooms, gym, cafeteria, playground, front driveway, school bus, etc.). Additionally, we discussed how there are people within all of these places including teachers, custodians, lunch monitors, office staff, etc. With the aim of communicating the expectation of responsibility, students discussed how they must care for all of these people and places in their school community as they are within their circle of concern.

As a school, we are committed to creating and promoting a school where caring and responsibility are the norms and are expected of all children. Teachers, students and parents will continue to collaborate around developing and implementing core values that define what's important to us all.

National Junior Honor Society at the Kennedy Middle School

Mr. NelsonPrincipalKennedy Middle School

The Kennedy Middle School recently held their National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony. This year 105 students were inducted which was the most ever. The inductees were treated to an inspiring speech by Woburn High senior Mike Palladino who was the president of the society while at the Kennedy. In order to be inducted the students needed a year end average of all A's (with the exception of 1 B) in all of their classes last year and they also needed to obtain all 1's in conduct and effort in all of their classes. Congratulations to all of the new members.

Principal for Day at the Goodyear School

Matthew McCabePrincipal (for a day) and Student ReporterGoodyear School

My name is Matthew McCabe and I am a fourth-grade student in Mrs. Doherty's class. Today, I got to be principal for the day. Here's what I got to do:

At the beginning of the day, I made the morning announcements and toured the school with Mr. Kessaris. The Goodyear students were doing a great job! I saw many of my former teachers and we took pictures outside by the Goodyear Elementary School sign. I also made a rule that the fourth grade could have extra morning recess!

In the afternoon, I ate lunch with my friends in the principal's office. I also got to write this story on Mr. Kessaris' computer. At the end of the day, I announced the total amount of money our school raised for today's "Wear Green" fundraiser. The total is $1,222. Great job Goodyear Elementary School!

Sincerely,

Matthew McCabe

Principal for the Day

Goodyear Elementary School

Shamrock Kindergarten: Popsicles on the Playground

Mr. ClarkPrincipal Shamrock School

On the day before the first day of school, the Shamrock PTO invited all the incoming kindergarten students to come to the front playground at 5:oo PM for Popsicles on the Playground. The PTO provided all the kindergarten students and their families with a popsicle and a time for the kids to play and make new friends. It also gave the parents a chance to meet some of the PTO members and to get to know each other. It was very well attended and it helped to make the first day of school even more successful!

Shamrock Student Chosen as Junior Marshall

Mr. ClarkPrincipal Shamrock School

The Shamrock School was very excited to have Payton Romain chosen as the Student Marshall for this year's Halloween Parade. Each elementary school got to send one Junior Marshall to represent their school in the parade and to ride on a firetruck at the front. Students were chosen by their teachers and principal. From those students Payton was chosen to be the head Student Marshall and ride in his own classic car at the start of the parade.

While Payton was riding in the front, many of the Shamrock 5th grade students were riding on their float designed and put together by the 5th grade Shamrock families. The theme this year was "Shamrock Winter Wonderland". We feel that our float was one of the best and the whole Shamrock community was proud of all of our 5th grade families that helped and rode on the float. With Payton at the front and our float near the back, it was a great parade!

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